You can't make this stuff up: Thursday edition

A roundup of strange and interesting news from Indiana.

Police say a Muncie woman returned home Monday afternoon to find an intruder lying on her couch - and wearing her clothes. The woman went to a neighbor's house to call police, and the man reportedly answered the door when an officer knocked. According to the Star Press, investigators believe the man entered through a window and he was found to be carrying debit cards, cash and jewelry belonging to the burglary victim. The suspect tried unsuccessfully to convince police the home belonged to his grandfather.

This story begs the question, what was the best-case scenario here? Was he hoping she would come home, realize someone had taken over her life and conclude she had been replaced fair and square? Maybe he has seen the movie 'Half Baked' a few too many times, where each roommate assumes the other invited the guy on the couch, who then lives there unquestioned for months. He took 'act like you belong and no one will question you' to a whole new level. It will get you into most parties, but not if you plan to throw on the host's clothes and assume their identity.

To me, the strangest part isn't the alleged burglary or the clothing swap, those things happen. It's the casually answering the door when police arrive and explaining they are sadly mistaken about who owns the house. Unfortunately for him, property records do exist and the internet is a thing so that plan wasn't really built for success.

Also in Muncie, police say a father used his 16-year-old son as a decoy while he stole dozens of lottery tickets from a Village Pantry. The son allegedly distracted the clerk while the dad made off with the loot. When confronted by the clerk, the father returned some tickets before leaving. Surveillance video helped identify the son, which led to a mobile home where police say they found 48 scratch-off tickets and a controlled substance. According to court records, since 2016 the father has been convicted of theft (five times), resisting law enforcement (twice) and driving while suspended.

Who says parenting is dead? He's teaching his son teamwork, problem solving and spending some quality time. If you're going to criticize his parenting skills, really you should focus on his message of relying on the lottery to solve your financial woes. That's just irresponsible. I realize the three-strikes law was deeply flawed, but can we all agree eight strikes in a year should maybe warrant some closer scrutiny? As George W. Bush might say - rob me once, shame on you. Rob me six times? You...You just can't get robbed again.